« Ideal Lines »

by Ioannis Lassithiotakis

The black line, 2016, emulsion on canvas, 200×180 cm.

In his new exhibition Ioannis Lassithiotakis presents mainly large-scale works, austere in their rendering and focused on the conceptual and aesthetic importance of monochrome surfaces on which a primordial, archetypal element of human expression is often inscribed: the line.

The works on show come in two series. In one the paint is spread on the surface in an abstract manner to produce pious monochromatic rites; the other series seems to be defined by drawing, with the outline sometimes surrounding the entire canvas or elsewhere with large shapes of black and white coexisting in a harmonious yet enigmatic relationship with one another.

This new body of work reflects the quests of Ioannis Lassithiotakis on issues pertaining to human relations, death, absence but also Art itself, presented in a mature way in terms of both content and aesthetic. His compositions, thoroughly researched and conceptually apt, increasingly attract international interest from galleries and the press.

Hate, 2017, emulsion and oil on canvas, 160×120 cm.

As Dr. Haris Hatziioannou points out in his text for the accompanying catalogue:

In the abstract language used by Lassithiotakis the fundamental visual elements (point, line, plane, color) have a power to speak on their own. This language of course comes from a tradition that originates from Suprematism, Constructivism and Bauhaus and passes, closer to our age, through Minimalism and Conceptual Art. Knowledge of this tradition and of the contemporary languages of art helps, but this does not mean that the intake of the works depends exclusively on such knowledge. Non-expert viewers that are both eager and sensitive enough will certainly be able to ‘listen to’ and understand this language, discerning its main characteristics.